


The Last Goodbye

by Aislashu



Category: Free!
Genre: Character Death, Free! Kink Meme, Gen, Kink Meme, Suicide
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-19
Updated: 2013-08-19
Packaged: 2017-12-23 23:32:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,425
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/932388
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aislashu/pseuds/Aislashu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>No more. No more of the self-imposed exile, no more being second best. Just...no more. But what happens when Haru is left to deal with the aftermath? </p>
<p>Written for the prompt:<br/>One day Rin has had enough of being second best, he's had enough of the exile he's voluntarily put himself into when it comes to his former friends. He drowns himself in either a pool or the ocean. You can show everyone's reactions, but I'm mainly looking for Haru's. Haru is so disturbed and upset by what happened, he can barely look at water anymore and loses his love for swimming permanently.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Last Goodbye

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know how many times I cried writing this. I glimpsed the prompt and it just would not leave me alone until I wrote it out.

    Haru had gone ahead of the other boys in the group. They were dawdling behind, and Haru didn't feel like waiting.  Mikoshiba had allowed their club to use the Samezuka Academy pool after hours, and Haru just wanted to get into the water. Let the others fall behind. Nagisa kept pulling random people aside to show his penguin impression, trying to prove that he'd been doing a good imitation, and they'd been stupid not to get it the first time. What a bother.   
  
    He slipped into the pool area, figuring he had at least a good ten minutes to just float as the others caught up, stripping out of his clothes. It was then he noticed that the lights around the pool were dark, while the lights inside the pool were lit. Why didn't they just turn on all the lights for them. He was about to turn away to find the switch when something caught his eye and he turned back to the water.   
  
    There, under one of the lane dividers...Haru's eyes went wide and he dove into the water, a few quick dolphin kicks bringing him to that face down body.   
  
    'How long?' he thought frantically to himself, 'Howlonghowlonghowlong?!'   
  
    His hands grasped the limp form, still clad in a black track suit with red lining and white strips, black 'teeth' along the stripes. He freed Rin from the lane divider, swimming to the side of the pool, struggling against the water, fighting it as he tried to get them to the edge that seemed to move further and further away. He pulled out of the water, dragging Rin's form along with him, refusing to believe the signs in front of his eyes.   
  
    Even though it was futile, he tried. Chest compressions, forcing air into the boy's lungs. Those blue lips were so cold...that blue, the blue of the water he so loved...the water all over Rin...told him everything he needed to know. Rin was gone...Rin was gone, and the water...his water, his world...had taken him away.   
  
    The scream ripped from Haru's throat, head thrown back as a primal rage roared through his body. He moved to the edge of the pool, beating his fists down into the water, against the ledge just under the water's surface. He felt the splash of the water against his face, into his open mouth, as he couldn't stop screaming. He didn't hear the crash of the door slamming open, his team mates coming at a full-on sprint at the sound of Haru's first screams.   
  
    "HARU-CHAN!"   
  
    Ignored. The other three boys could only stare at the sight of Haru losing all control, not yet noticing the cause that sent Haruka so far over the edge. It was Rei who finally noticed the body, his arm slowly rising up between Nagisa and Makoto's shoulders to point a violently trembling finger.  
  
    "NO!" Makoto shouted, finally spurred into action, running the length of the pool.   
  
    Nagisa was on his heels, and their shouts caused the opposing door to slam open, the door leading into the school. Nagisa dropped by Rin's side, shaking him violently as if that would do anything, as if he were just trying to wake a particularly heavy sleeper. Makoto grabbed Haruka, who struggled violently in his arms, voice hoarse from the screams, to numbed to realize the water was now tinged red where he'd been beating his fists into the ledge of the pool.   
  
    "Nagisa!" Makoto shouted, desperately.   
  
    Haruka fought, bucking and twisting against Makoto's grip, wild in his desire to keep beating at the water, to punish it for what it had taken from him.   
  
    "What the fucking hell is...oh my fucking shit!" Seijuurou had come in at the commotion, followed by teachers and Nitori.  
  
    "Mikoshiba-senpai, what is it? What is...oh....no..."  
  
    Rei was on the phone, having dialed for help. Nagisa, tears streaking down his face, had looked up from Rin's body at Makoto's plea for help, jumping up to head over, grabbing Haru from the front.  
  
    "Haru-chan! Haru-chan, please!" Nagisa begged, the two boys sandwiching Haru between them,trying to get him to stop.   
  
    The struggles stopped suddenly, and, gasping, Makoto slowly lowered them to the floor. He was panting for breath, sweating, his arms still gripped tightly around Haruka's body. Nagisa knelt down, sniffling, his eyes on Haru, taking those bloodied hands in his own.   
  
    "M...Mako-chan..." Nagisa lifted Haru's hands up carefully, bringing the other boy's attention to them.  
  
    "Rin..." Haru's voice startled them, raw and scratchy. "Rin..."  
  
    Makoto looked over at Rin's body. Rei was keeping people from crowding it, and trying to talk to Seijuurou and a stern-looking teacher. Makoto looked over at Nagisa, who seemed to understand the look in his eyes. Nagisa got to his feet, stumbling a bit, unsteady, and tried not to look over at Rin as he walked over to Rei. Rei turned towards Nagisa, and the little blonde fell against him, clutching the blue-haired boy's shirt as he simply broke against his chest, sobbing. Rei's conversation with Seijuurou and the teacher was effectively cut off at that point, simply wrapping his arms around Nagisa's body.   
  
    Makoto was so glad someone was there to comfort Nagisa. He wished he could break down like the other boy, and...completely unexpectedly...like Haru. But he could not. He had to stay strong for them, as their friend, as their Captain. Haru kept asking for Rin, and Makoto slowly shifted, letting Haruka's gaze turn towards Rin's body.   
  
    Haruka pulled away from Makoto and didn't even bother to get up to his feet, instead crawling forward on all fours, desperate to reach Rin. Pain shot through his arms with each movement, smeared prints in blood left in his wake. Each shot of pain made him whimpere but also gave him the jolt he needed to move forward each time, until he reached the other boy's body. His arms trembled as he held himself over Rin, then he just collapsed, face against that chest which would never again draw another breath, body curled against Rin's side. Desperate, so desperate to feel the warmth Rin had once exuded so long ago as children, that he'd been longing so much to feel again. His body shook, trembling from head to toe.  
  
    "Rin...Rin....please...show me that sight again, Rin...please..."  
  
    Makoto choked softy and felt his heart breaking at the sight in front of him. Even his strength couldn't stop the tears streaking his cheeks. He wanted to move forward, he wanted to drag Haruka away from Rin. But he knew the boy would fight him again. He couldn't bring himself to deny Haru these moments, no matter how soul-shattering they may be. He heard Nagisa's sobbing increase, and he tuned out the sounds of the others.   
  
    "I'll swim for you, Rin...I'll swim for you...only for you...RinRin..."  
  
    "GET OUT!"  
  
    Makoto's voice echoed through the pool area. He couldn't stand that people were gawking at Haru like he was some sideshow. His grief and rage welled up inside him. He got to his feet slowly, the silent tears still streaking his cheeks, striding towards the growing crowd.   
  
    "If you don't need to be here, GET OUT! This isn't a free show! What do you need to stare at him for?! Can't you understand who he just lost!?  Damn you all to hell!"   
  
    The teacher regarded Makoto cooly and turned, silently shooing people away. The crowd surged backward slowly, heading towards the halls.   
  
    "You can stay," Makoto swallowed hard, looking to Seijuurou and Nitori. "I...I'm sorry about that, it's just..."  
  
    "It's ok," Seijuurou said quietly. "I'd be pissed, too...I...I can't believe Rin drowned. I wonder what happened?"  
  
    Nitori hung his head, snot running down his face, tears soaking his young cheeks, shoulders jumping up and down with his sharp breaths and efforts not to sob. He felt his team captain hug him close and couldn't help but start crying against him. Rin had been his room mate, and he'd looked up to Rin.  Makoto turned his head, and was relieved to hear the sirens so near.   
  
    Makoto moved over to Haru, wanting to draw the boy away from Rin so the EMTs wouldn't have to fight him. Haru's pleas had stopped, he noticed, and so had the boy's trembles. Makoto hurried his steps, dropping down next to Haru's unmoving form, panicking inwardly. Not Haru too, not Haru too...and he swallowed hard, sighing in relief when his fingers found a pulse.   
  
    Haru had passed out.   
  
      
    Awake in the hospital, Haru stared down at his hands, each covered in a cast. Rei and Nagisa were in his room. Nagisa was curled up in Rei's lap, clutching a stuffed animal. A stuffed shark, Haru had noticed, feeling sick...where the hell did one get a stuffed shark?! Haru pretended he hadn't noticed it. He barely even greeted them as they walked in, giving them the faintest of nods.   
  
    "Still can't get ahold of your parents," Makoto sighed as he walked in, looking at Haru.   
  
    Haru nodded, looking away. Makoto had been trying to reach them since last night, he'd been told once he'd woken up. He'd immediately asked for Rin, not wanting to believe his own memories of last night. He hadn't spoken again since Makoto broke the news.   
  
    "There's an unknown caller on your phone, though...maybe they tried to call you?"  
  
    Haru paused and looked towards his phone. Makoto grabbed it, bringing it to Haru and pressing the center button briefly, bringing the screen to life.  
  
   **_Unknown Caller_**  
 ** _6:45p_**  
 ** _1 New Voicemail_**  
  
    "That's weird, two hours before our practice..." Makoto frowned, shrugging. "Do you want to hear it anyway?"  
  
    Haru shrugged. It could possibly be his parents. Sometimes things happened to their phone and they ended up with a new one.  Makoto pressed the screen to send it to voicemail, holding the phone up to Haru's ear. His eyes went wide, entire body going stiff as he heard the familiar voice in his ear. Two words. He sat up, twisting to the side, violently vomiting over the edge of the bed.   
  
    Makoto snatched the phone away, hitting the speaker button.  
  
    "Replay message? Press 1 to replay, 2 to save, or 7 to delete..."  
  
    "Haru-chan!" Nagisa jumped up, moving to rub Haru's back, looking at Makoto worriedly. "What is it?"  
  
    "I..I don't know..." Makoto looked down at the phone, steeling himself, then pressing 1.   
  
    Everyone froze as they heard Rin's voice.  
  
    " _Goodbye...Haru._ "   
  
    Makoto and Nagisa locked eyes, Makoto's grip tight on the phone, hand trembling. Rei picked up the shark Nagisa had abandoned when the boy had moved to Haru, looking down at it. He felt sad, yes, but he hadn't known Rin as well as the others. He'd thought the boy a bit of an ass, to be honest, but respected his friends enough to keep it to himself. Especially now. A choked sob caught everyone's attention but Haru's, eyes turning to the doorway to see Kou, bracing herself on the frame so she wouldn't collapse.   
  
    "He...he called Haru...before....he...knew..." Kou stared at the phone in Makoto's hands, having just been walking in to see the guys, see Haru, when Makoto had pressed the button to hear the message.   
  
    "Not an accident," Makoto said it quietly. How it hurt to say it. To know that it had been done on purpose, the selfish, arrogant bastard!   
  
    Makoto looked up, and the anger in his eyes faded away, seeing Kou so devasted. He walked forward, drawing her into his arms, holding her to him. Nagisa had climbed into the bed with Haru, hugging the boy from behind, and it spoke volumes that Haruka didn't push him away. Rei left the to their grief, slipping out of the room to get the nurse.   
  
      
    Water. Haru could no longer bear the sight of it. What had once been his freedom now became his bane, having shown itself to be the monster Makoto believed it to be. It had taken Rin from him. It had swept Rin away in its harsh riptide, pulling the boy out of his reach, never to give him the forgiveness he'd sought for hurting the boy so long ago. Never to allow him to see the boy he had given his heart to ever again.   
  
    The sound of the ocean made him sick, and he could never walk by it fast enough. The Iwatobi pool he had helped to so painstakingly rebuild...he could never look at again. How often had he escaped into the water? How often had he relied on the water to heal him? Give him strength? For so long, water had been a part of his entire being.   
  
    As the days passed, drawing ever closer to the day they buried Rin, he felt like he was drowning. With each passing hour, closer to the day he was supposed to say goodbye, he felt the water's weight pressing down on him from all sides, suffocating him...mocking him.   
  
_We have Rin._  
  
 _We took him from you._  
  
 _Rin is ours now._  
  
 _Do you miss him?_  
  
      
    The day of Rin's funeral, Makoto made his way into Haru's house, intent on trying to get the boy to come. Haru refused to see him, refused to do anything this passed week. Makoto was relieved to hear water running in the bathroom, for it meant Haruka had gone back into the tub. Maybe he would be coming, after all.  
  
    Smiling, Makoto pushed open the bathroom door, eyes drawn to the tub where he knew Haru would be. The bathtub, ever Haru's sanctuary...had become his deathbed. Water stained red flowed over the side of the tub, pooling slowly over the floor. One of Haru's hands rested outside the water, on he side of the tub facing the wall, and Makoto saw the torn picture clutched in the boy's hand. Their picture, from after the relay...he and Nagisa had been ripped off, leaving just Rin with his arm around Haruka's shoulders.   
  
    His shaking hand shut off the water, and Makoto stared down helplessly into the tub. Makoto couldn't bring himself to act, to move, only stare down at his best friend. He hadn't been strong enough for Haru. His shoulders shook, a small choking sound coming from his throat as the tears escaped, rolling down his cheeks, dropping into the red-stained water. And all he could think of...were Rin's last words.  
  
    " _Goodbye...Haru._ "  
  


**Author's Note:**

> AND THEN RIN WOKE UP FROM HIS CRAZY NIGHTMARE AND SWORE HE'D NEVER EAT ONE OF NITORI'S CRAZY FOOD CONCOCTIONS AGAIN!!!!! T______T


End file.
